While this is a positive downtrend from the inventory peak of 4.58 million units in July 2008, the inventory overhang is still having a negative effect on prices.
Green MSP Patrick Harvie said any additional aviation demand would lead to higher emissions on the Scottish Emissions Inventory and asked the minister whether the government had even begun to calculate effect of these emissions.
Both international trade flows and inventory accumulation could have been affected by disruptions caused by Hurricane Sandy, although a precise estimate of the effect of the hurricane on GDP is not available.